


these tears will dry

by braveatheart



Category: Supergirl (TV 2015)
Genre: F/F, i cry, kara cries, lena cries, we all cry
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-11-21
Updated: 2017-12-15
Packaged: 2019-02-05 00:00:51
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 6
Words: 20,760
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12782487
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/braveatheart/pseuds/braveatheart
Summary: They've been through a lot of firsts together, but these are the first times they've ever seen each other cry. This is what ensues.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> So, human emotion and vulnerability is fascinating to me, and I wanted to take this chance to do almost a character study of both Kara and Lena. My goal is to complete the chapter on Lena by tomorrow night. For now... here's a study on Kara and her vulnerable side. I hope you enjoy!

_ Tick, tock. Tick, tock.  _

The clock hung on the wall of Lena’s office, or rather the empty room at CatCo that Lena has claimed for her own, ticks incessantly beside her. She’s seated on a blue cloth couch she found in the center of the room. She’s in a dress, so she can’t very well pull her feet up. Still, she kicks off her heels and crosses her legs, then leans back into the soft backing. 

Kara is almost as punctual as she herself is, yet the blonde is late.

They had a lunch date planned today. Since Morgan Edge took his revenge on the youngest Luthor, life has become nonstop with one thing to deal with after another. There was always an article to write, a news story to attend to, a new investment to take interest in. Kara and Lena had only seen each other in passing at work, their only communication quick but kind words and professional matters. She knows it’s stupid but, Lena counts that it’s been nearly a week since they’d had a chance to even hug. (She’d grown quite used to hugging often that being without felt rather empty.)

Finally, when the clock strikes a full ten minutes after their lunch was planned to start, Kara hurries through the doorway. She closes the door roughly behind her. Her belongings, a backpack presumably carrying her notebooks for work and a tan coat, are thrown thoughtlessly to the floor. She stands facing the door, her hands on her hips. Lena can faintly hear heavy, labored breaths.

The CEO’s lips part slightly, prepared to say something, but she falters. She feels almost afraid to speak. Kara seems unpredictable, and Lena doesn’t want to be the one to light the fuse.

_ Fuck it. _

“Kara?”

At first, the blonde doesn’t respond. She stays dormant, staring down at the ground, and her breaths remain labored. Her knuckles are white from the strength with which she grabs onto her hips, and Lena wonders how she isn’t hurting herself. 

Finally, Kara responds. She takes a deep breath, and stares up at the grainy, poorly-painted ceiling. It’s then that Lena notices the redness that has crept into the tips of her ears. 

“Just, um… just give me second,” Kara mutters. Her voice is trembling in a way that Lena hasn’t heard before. She lets out a slow, quivering breath. 

After a few more moments of trying to steady herself, she turns around. Lena swears she can feel her heart break immediately at the sight. It’s obvious that the blonde has been crying; her cheeks and eyes are a bright red, and there’s dampness that causes her eyelashes to stick together. She’s not crying anymore, but the remnants are obvious. Lena has never seen her look this way, and she has to admit that she’s taken slightly aback.

“I have potstickers,” she offers weakly, her own voice unsteady. She kicks herself, knowing that she should have offered some words of comfort instead. She should have asked, run to give her a hug… something. Anything would have been better than that.

To her relief, however, the statement brings the tiniest of smiles to Kara’s face. She actually chuckles a bit, and though it is wet and strained, it’s still a chuckle. It’s still laughter, and Lena decides maybe she made the right move after all.

She pats the seat next to her on the ever-soft blue couch, beckoning for the blonde to join her. Her heart hammers in her chest as she tries to remember how to comfort someone. She hasn’t done this in years, and she’s a bit afraid of screwing it up somehow. The fear is even more gripping because this isn’t some sad stranger on the street… this is  _ Kara. _

The woman in question offers a small, sad smile, and obliges Lena’s gentle request. She pads across the room and takes a seat on the couch, quickly removing her boots and discarding them next to the arm. With the footwear out of sight, she falls backward into the cushions, her eyes falling shut as she collides with the fabric.

_ Do something, Luthor. Don’t just sit there. _

“Do you want to talk about it?” Lena asks, her voice barely above a whisper. She inches ever so slightly nearer to the blonde. The CEO watches as Kara takes a deep breath in, then flares her nostrils as she exhales it. Her cheeks are darkening again, and Lena thinks she knows what’s coming soon.

“I’m not sure what to say,” Kara admits, and her voice is broken. Lena feels real, physical pain tugging at her chest, and a lump rising in her throat. The sensation catches her off guard; she can’t remember the last time she cared about anyone to the point where their unhappiness affected her this way. Still, she swallows it down; this is about Kara, not her.

“Sometimes I get upset even when nothing exactly happens, I’ll just think myself into sadness,” Lena shares, trying to take the pressure off. “So it’s okay if that’s what it is.”

Kara chuckles humorlessly, shaking her head against the couch backing. Her lip quivers, and she immediately pulls it into her mouth, biting down to keep it still. She’s teetering on the edge of breaking again. Lena isn’t sure whether she should keep her from falling, or catch her when she does.

“Oh no, something definitely happened,” Kara continues. Each word is strained and forced. She’s trying so hard to keep herself together. “Just not what I expected.”

“How do you mean?”

There’s a few beats of silence between the question and the response, but it breaks Lena’s heart the second she receives it.

“He’s back,” Kara says, the tiniest hint of a smile on her lips before it falters. “He’s back, but he’s not.”

Her voice cracks again on her final word, and her hands come up to cover her face. Lena can see her shoulders beginning to shake, and her ears turn an even deeper shade of red. It doesn’t take long for Lena to put the pieces of the puzzle together, and a part of her wishes she hadn’t. Now, her heart is breaking for Kara, too.

“Irma,” Kara whispers, muffled through her hands. “Her name is Irma.”

The CEO feels some mixture of rage and sadness all at once, and she feels her fingers itching to wrap themselves around the gun she had pulled on Edge. The sudden desire for violence frightens her, and she thinks that must be a good thing. However, she doesn’t entertain either of those thoughts. Instead, she pays attention to the other sensation that’s washed over; she gives into the need to protect Kara, and to take away the hurt.

She knows that perhaps she should have asked first, because maybe Kara doesn’t like to be touched when she’s upset. She can get like that sometimes, too; there’s usually a certain level of upsetness where she needs to be left alone before she can let anyone in. She was risking pushing into that boundary, but she didn’t think of the repercussions. All she wanted was take away the pain.

Lena closes the distance between the two of them and pulls Kara into her arms. The blonde responds immediately, a sob forcing up her throat as she wraps her arms around Lena’s middle and buries her face in her pale neck. Wetness soaks into the CEO’s skin immediately, and she has to fight the lump rising again in her own throat. Kara’s body shakes with stifled sobs, and her grip tightens even further around Lena’s torso. Lena runs her hand up and down the blonde’s back, words and soft shushing sounds tumbling from her lips before she can even think to stop them. The frames around Kara’s eyes are digging into her skin, and she gently pulls them off and sets them on the coffee table before them. Kara doesn’t protest for even a second.

They stay that way, Kara practically curled up in Lena’s lap as she sobs for her love, lost a second time, and Lena doesn’t understand. 

The woman that she’s holding is the single most kind, genuine, hilarious, loving, thoughtful, and absolutely breathtakingly beautiful woman that she’s ever met in her life. She’s never known anyone else with such pure and true intentions to make the world a better place. She’s never seen so much passion in the eyes of anyone else as they speak about their job, such excitement over life’s small treasures. Of all the people that Lena has met, Kara is her favorite, and Lena doesn’t understand how anyone could want more than what she is.

Lena doesn’t. She doesn’t want anything more.

“I prayed for him to come back for s-seven months,” Kara sobs, and God, Lena really wants to hurt that son of a bitch right now because Kara sounds completely and absolutely broken. “I begged R.. God to bring him back, alive and in one piece, because I c-couldn’t sleep without him.”

Lena’s rocking, now, ever so slightly back and forth. She’s stopped making any sound, and is instead listening to Kara’s every word. The blonde hics and sputters for breath between sobs. Lena screws her eyes shut and wills herself to stay strong for Kara. She needs an immovable force to lean against, and Lena intends to be just that. 

“I don’t understand,” Kara admits. She sounds so small, like a young child abandoned and unable to process why. 

Lena knows that she will never be able to say the right words, so she doesn’t try. She simply stays there, steadfast, and holds Kara as tightly as she can muster. 

She’s wondered before what would happen the first time she ever saw Kara cry. In the strangest way, the thought has crossed her mind a few times. She’s imagined what the blonde might look like, how she might sound. Vulnerability has often fascinated her, as it’s something she rarely allows herself, and she has often entertained the thought of what it might be like. 

She got most of it right. She always figured the blonde would start out angry, throwing things and slamming doors. There’s a quiet fury in her that Lena’s always been aware of, and she expected no less when she was on the verge of breaking down. Then, she imagined the transition from anger to sadness, and she got that right, too. She imagined how she would respond, if she would be able to do it right.

The one thing she never predicted was how small the blonde would look, and how much it would hurt to see her so broken.

Soon, Kara’s cries ebb into sniffles and damp cheeks, but she doesn’t remove herself from Lena’s arms. In fact, she curls in closer. She pulls her feet onto the couch and shifts so that Lena is holding her close to her chest, almost like one would hold a child. Lena looks down, taking in the sight beneath her.

Kara’s eyes are puffy even when closed, and her cheeks are absolutely soaked with tears. There’s snot running from her nose, and it’s clearly gotten onto Lena’s dress, but she doesn’t mind in the least. Her whole face is a bright red, and the veins in her forehead stick out as she stifles a few more lingering cries.

“You know, I am a Luthor,” Lena offers, curious to see if the situation is ready for humor just yet. “I own a myriad of technologies that could obliterate them both if you’d like.”

Kara smiles, a real smile with teeth and a true laugh, and shakes her head.

“You’d never,” she retorts, her voice still wet and unsteady. “You’re too good.”

It’s meant as a joke, but the sincerity is still clear. Lena feels a warmth spreading through her chest at Kara’s kind words, and she bites back a full, toothy grin.

“I’m so tired,” Kara admits, her smile faltering. Lena can see it too; as the puffiness settles, the darkness beneath her eyes is quite evident. She looks like she hasn’t slept in seven months. Maybe she truly hasn’t. 

Only now does Kara sit up, almost reluctantly pulling herself into a sitting position. She wipes at her eyes and nose, effectively soaking the end of her shirtsleeve with snot and tears. Lena chuckles at the woman.

“What?” Kara whines, but there’s a hint of playfulness in her voice. It’s steadier now, not broken like it was fifteen minutes ago. There’s still scratchiness to it, but nothing more.

“I hope you’ve got something to wear beneath that button-up because that is disgusting,” Lena teases, and she breaks into a fit of giggles as Kara whacks her gently in the arm. She’s giggling too, now, already unbuttoning the shirt. Lena wishes she could say she’s surprised, or unprepared for what’s about to happen, but she isn’t blind. She can’t even pretend she doesn’t know.

Soon, the button-up is discarded by the edge of the couch along with the shoes she’d kicked off when she sat down the first time. What remains is a snotty-nosed and teary-eyed Kara Danvers in Supergirl’s longsleeved top, muscles bursting through the seams, a pair of black pants with a silver belt, and black socks with no shoes. It’s quite a look, but Lena can’t say she minds.

“You should just wear that when you go out saving people,” she teases. “It’s more business casual.”

Kara snorts now, real laughter bubbling from her lips. She leans forward and grabs the two boxes of takeout, handing one to Lena. It’s not often that the CEO will eat anything that isn’t green, but for Kara, she’ll make an exception.

They’re about to dive into the food, their stomachs audibly rumbling as its nearing two in the afternoon, but Kara pauses. Her smile falters into one more subdued, and she looks down at the potstickers in thought. Her eyes are still bloodshot, but the rosy tint of her face is nearly gone. 

“Thank you, Lena,” she says quietly, looking up at the CEO now. There’s a softness in her eyes that makes Lena practically melt into the blue fabric, and she returns the smile as calmly as she can.

“Of course,” she replies. “Always.”

Kara smiles again, her eyes darting between Lena’s. The silence hangs in the air, feeling suspended as though there’s something unfinished. Lena wills her heart to beat normally, knowing full well the blonde will hear if it doesn’t.

The moment passes as Kara clears her throat and returns her attention to the potstickers in her hands. A childlike joy lights up her eyes as she stares at upwards of 30 potstickers, all for her consumption. Lena doesn’t fight the grin that lights up her face. 

“So, how ugly is she?” the CEO asks, and Kara nearly chokes on her food as she laughs. They move past that lingering, unfinshed feeling as quickly as they come onto it, trying as hard as possible to keep the laughter going. Lena just keeps repeating the same words to herself, over and over, as she watches Kara laugh like she wasn’t bawling minutes ago.

Be still my heart. Please, be still.


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I wrote the entirety of this at 2 in the morning... I hope it still does justice to Lena's character and vulnerability study! The comments on part one made my whole week. Thank you so much.

II. Lena

Kara lands with a heavy thud on the balcony outside Lena’s old LCorp office, knowing she’d find the CEO there after sensing her thudding heartbeat. The heroine is far less graceful than she intends to be. She stumbles forward after she lands, nearly knocking into the still-closed glass door. 

Lena stands inside the office, legs close together and arms folded in front of her. She’s staring at a television on the wall, one of Sam’s additions, as it plays a news report. Of course, it is not news to Kara. The scene playing on the screen is the exact one she had just left from, only after doing as much damage control as possible. Lena is completely still as she watches the screen. She breathes slowly but shallowly. If Kara couldn’t hear her breathing, she wouldn’t know if the woman was breathing at all.

Kara’s own breath stutters as she moves forward a few paces, her hand reaching up to press against the glass. Her heart aches in her chest, urgency burning against her ribcage. She feels a sense of helplessness as she watches from the outside. Though she could easily open the door, she refuses; she won’t force herself upon Lena. Still, she’d give just about anything for the raven haired woman to turn around and let her in.

She does not get her wish. She’s certain Lena is aware of her presence, but the CEO makes no move to let her in. Kara sighs, willing herself to stay calm and not rush anything. Despite the fact that she doesn’t want to relive what has just happened, she finds herself glancing up toward the screen as she waits.

Rao, how horrible it had been. How horrible it still is.

Kara swears she can’t remember the last time she saw so many people hurt, so many people  _ dead _ . She’s had her fair share with people suffering under her watch, but never like this. There was always just one or two. The worst thing she can remember is watching a man burn to death before her eyes. Horrible as it had been, it had never been worse than that.

It had never been children.

Kara shudders, and she feels her stomach churn uncomfortably. She wants to block out the reports, but she can’t. The words flow into her ears despite her attempts to push them out.

Lex Luthor escapes from prison and attacks Lena Luthor’s children’s hospital. 

34 injured.

16 dead.

Supergirl captures the elder Luthor and places him back into containment.

It wasn’t enough, it could never be enough if even one person got hurt, let alone the deaths of sixteen innocent children. She wanted to scream, to cry, to run, to sob, to vomit, to beat Lex Luthor senseless… she wanted a lot of things, none of which she could have right now.

Even if she could have them, she wouldn’t choose them. Just as she’s going through the list of things she’d like to do, Lena finally stirs. 

She turns slowly. Her head is down; Kara can’t see her face at all, only her slightly pink forehead and the tips of her bright red ears. She trudges toward the door, feet dragging in her heels as if every step takes all the effort she can muster. Perhaps, Kara thinks, it takes all of the CEO to even take a breath. She feels a strange sense of gratitude as she steps into the room, knowing what a feat it may have been to even move. 

The heroine closes the door quietly, cautious not to let it make much sound. Lena is quick to put distance between them as she returns to the very place she stood before. Kara doesn’t follow, and it doesn’t seem that the CEO wants her to. Her heart is hammering in her chest as she wills herself to just keep the space between them. When every fiber of her being is screaming for her to just  _ do something _ , to not just stand there as her best friend suffers, it is no easy feat to stay distant. She swallows down her urgency as best as she can.

She’s startled from her panic when out of nowhere, Lena speaks.

“Can you take me to the hospital?”

Her voice is icy, void of any emotion. For a moment, it doesn’t even sound like her voice. It doesn’t sound like the Lena that Kara knows well.

“It’s handled,” the blonde replies hesitantly. “He’s handled.”

Lena scoffs. Her eyes drop from facing the screen to staring down at the ground beneath her. She shakes her head slowly, taking as deep a breath as possible.

“Clearly not,” she argues. “If he was handled, this wouldn’t have happened.”

Kara feels something of a twinge of hurt in her chest. Of course the CEO hadn’t meant it to hurt her, or to knock her down. But something about those words makes the blonde wonder if she’s partially to blame for what happened. If  _ Lena  _ thinks that she’s partially to blame for what happened. The thought makes her eyes begin to burn against her will.

Still, the youngest Luthor is unstable. Surely even if she did mean it to be a jab, she didn’t mean to hurt Kara. She would never hurt intentionally. This, the blonde knows, is undeniable, despite the judgments of others.

She takes a steadying breath and pushes her aches away, knowing that the woman before her must be hurting tenfold more than she.

“I don’t think it’s best for you to go to the hospital right now,” Kara asserts as delicately as possible. “Soon… just not now.”

Lena doesn’t respond. She hasn’t moved since she began to stare at the floor. She stays there, eyes glued to the worn wooden floors. It takes Kara a few moments of staring at her helplessly to realize that she’s trembling.

“Lena,” she says quietly, her voice hardly more than a breathy whisper. Fear shoots through her chest like searing fireworks as she tries to figure out what to do. Her mind is racing with more questions than answers. Does she get closer? Does she say that she’ll give her space? Does she speak at all? Does she say she’s sorry for what happened? Does she, by some miracle, attempt to lighten the mood? Kara feels her panic burning through her chest. Her best friend is as vulnerable as she’s ever seen, and the heroine can’t stop being afraid of screwing something up.

“Sixteen,” Lena whispers. She sounds shellshocked, unable to process anything. “Sixteen people died today and more were hurt.”

Kara has a sick feeling that Lena is going to hate the number sixteen for the rest of her life.

“Yes,” she says, deciding there’s no point in trying to soften the blow. “And it’s the worst thing to happen in this city in a long time.”

Lena’s shoulders heave suddenly with a sharp exhalation. One of the hands held in front of her reaches upward, and she runs long, slender fingers through her frazzled hair. It remains there, locked a little too tightly in tangled strands. 

She stops moving, but Kara can hear the stuttering intakes of breath and see the redness that’s creeping back into the tips of the CEO’s ears. A trembling free hand reaches up to cover her mouth, a last ditch attempt to silence herself. Her shoulders fall forward, almost as if she’s folding in on herself. Kara swears she’s never seen anyone look so small.

“Children,” Lena breathes brokenly, her voice like gravel. She turns around, finally, and looks Kara in the eyes. Nothing could have prepared the heroine for the image before her.

Lena Luthor, one of the strongest people that Kara has ever known, looks shattered. Her face is a deep red, darker around her eyes. Those wide emerald orbs that Kara finds herself lost in are now filled to the brim with tears yet unshed, and they glisten beneath the fluorescent light of the room. Her brows are furrowed together in agony. There is a plead for relief painted onto the raven haired woman’s expression, a relief that Kara cannot give.

Lena hand falls from her mouth, and she says six words that will haunt the heroine until the end of her days.

“Oh, God, Kara… they were  _ children. _ ”

All at once, the ever-strong Lena Luthor fractures into a million pieces.

Her knees buckle beneath her, but Kara is there to catch her before she can fall. She weakly wraps her arms around Kara’s neck, searching for stability, and allows herself to be held up. The blonde reaches beneath trembling legs without thought and lifts the Luthor off the wood. She heads directly for the white leather couch behind them, no longer trusting her own stability either, and positions the two of them so that she can hold Lena.

Still, despite the fact that the raven haired woman can’t take a steady breath and is shaking profusely in Kara’s arms, she’s holding onto a facade of strength. The tears that filled her eyes remain there; Lena refuses to let them fall.

Kara tightens her grip, ever so slightly, and whispers shakily to the woman in her arms.

“You can cry,” she promises. “You’re allowed to cry.”

That permission, that reassurance of safety, is all it takes for Lena to let down her walls. The second her eyes fall shut, tears begin to stream like rivers down her red and angry cheeks. Her body jerks with stifled sobs. Kara pulls her closer instinctively, searching for some way to alleviate the hurt. Still holding Lena with her left arm, the heroine’s right hand runs up Lena’s protruding spine. She wraps her shaking hand around the back of Lena’s head, allowing the CEO to hide her face in the crook of her neck. She cannot take away what’s happened, but somehow this small action feels like a protection from the pain.

Lena only sobs harder in response, her fingers twisting into the thick material of the supersuit. 

“How could he?” she cries, stuttering on every syllable. “They were so innocent and pure. They’d never hurt anyone.”

“I know,” Kara whispers, turning her head so that the space between them is lessened further. Her cheek is immediately soaked as it touches Lena’s, but she doesn’t mind. She just needs to make the pain stop, somehow.

“They’d barely lived,” Lena continues. “They hadn’t listened to enough music yet. They hadn’t seen enough sunsets yet. They…”

She breaks off again, the sobs clawing their way up her throat too strong for her to speak. Kara holds her closer yet, wondering if her grip is too strong. She loosens slightly, but Lena holds on tighter in response. 

“I’ve got you,” the heroine whispers, her lips pressing without thought to the CEO’s temple. “I’ve got you.” 

Lena attempts to speak again, but each time she tries, she breaks into cries she can’t stop. Eventually she just gives up, and Kara doesn’t push her. They fall into a heartbroken silence, neither one able to trust their voices.

It is only after Kara wraps the warm fabric of her cape around the both of them that Lena can even begin to calm down. She’s still shaking like a leaf and struggling to get a good breath without sobbing, and Kara’s in no rush. She pulls the red cape all the way around the two of them and simply waits.

Kara doesn’t know how long the two of them stay there that way, wrapped in the fabric of her cape. After minutes of comforting words and gentle shushes tumbling from Kara’s lips, Lena’s sobs finally calm into still-streaming tears, but nothing more. Still, even after the crashing waves of emotion settle, they don’t move.

Kara doesn’t think she’s ever going to understand why the world works the way it does. She doesn’t understand why Lex had to take his hatred toward Clark out on innocent children with nothing but hope ahead of them. She doesn’t understand why he had to go so far as to take their innocent lives. She doesn’t understand why it had to be Lena’s hospital, something she worked so hard for and felt so much for. 

She doesn’t understand why, when all Lena has ever wanted is to be good, life continues to knock her down with pain and grief and horrible, horrible things.

She doesn’t understand why life has to break her so much that all she can do is cry. She doesn’t understand why the biggest hearts have to hurt the most.

“I’m sorry.”

Lena’s sudden words startle Kara out of her thoughts. She furrows her brow in confusion as she pulls back slightly, allowing Lena to look up at her. Though her cries have finally ebbed, the tears in her eyes don’t seem to be going away.

“For what?”

“Falling apart like this.”

Kara lets out a heavy breath and shakes her head, then pulls Lena close again. 

“You don’t have to be strong,” Kara promises, her lips pressed to Lena’s temple before she can even think. “Not here. Not with me. Let me be strong for the both of us.”

Lena breaks again, but only for a moment. Her eyes fill further with tears and a single sob pushes at her chest. She lets out a heavy breath and screws her eyes shut as she wills herself to stay together.

Slowly, and almost reluctantly, the CEO pulls herself into a sitting position. The cape still wraps hapazardly around their shoulders, warm in the quickly cooling room. The air is frigid and unforgiving; it seems fitting for the night’s events.

They sit in silence for a few moments, save for the sound of an occasional sniffle or heavy breath. Finally, with a decisive wipe of her cheeks, Lena speaks.

“We really should go to the hospital,” she insists. This time, Kara agrees and nods. She feels something that she can’t quite identify at the mention of “we,” but decides against attempting to decipher it. She carefully guides them into a sitting position, still feeling a bit unstable herself. Her knees wobble a bit as she stands, but she can stand. Lena trembles, but she stands.

The heroine is about to ask if they should fly there when Lena speaks.

“Kara…” she begins, her eyes flitting up to meet the blonde’s. Kara feels her breath hitch in her throat at the closeness in proximity. Her usually dark emerald orbs are bright now from crying, and tiny specks of gold are flaked into her irises. 

“Thank you for being here,” Lena says softly, her voice taking on a tone that Kara’s not sure she’s ever heard before. It makes her heart flutter unexpectedly in her chest, but she pushes the sensation down.

“There’s no place I’d choose to be but here.”

It’s a quiet admission that Kara doesn’t even intend to make, but the words slip past her lips before she can consider them. Lena gasps ever so slightly, and she blinks slowly in surprise. The moment is suspended in time, floating around them as it had when Kara was the one in need. Their eyes dart between each other’s as if expecting something, but they can’t identify their expectations. Instead, there is that same sensation of something unfinished, but indefinite. 

“Are you ready to go to the hospital?” Kara asks tentatively, not wanting to rush Lena into anything.

There’s a flash of fear in the CEO’s eyes, but Kara knows she’d never admit it. She doesn’t; with a steeled over expression and a set jaw, Lena nods. Kara marvels for a moment’s time at the strength of the woman stood before her. She hopes to herself that one day she may be just as strong.

They don’t speak for a few moments after that. Lena allows herself to be picked up again, then carried bridal-style to the balcony. The winter air is like ice against their skin, and the breeze nips at their extremities almost painfully. 

“Hold on,” Kara says. “I’ve got you.”

“I know,” Lena replies. “I know.”

Kara takes off with a strange mixture of sadness and something else swirling in her chest. Facing childless parents will be one of the hardest things she ever has to do, but she knows she can do it if Lena’s by her side. Looking down at the woman staring in wonder at the National City skyline, she knows that they’ll be okay. No matter what they have to endure, they don’t have to do it alone. No matter how hard they may cry, their tears will always dry.


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A warning... this one is a lot heavier even than Lena's chapter. Proceed with caution. Regardless, I hope you enjoy!

Blood. 

So, so much blood.

Lena is completely frozen. It’s as though there’s a rope around her neck, cutting off her supply of air no matter how she tries to fight against it. Her muscles have turned to stone, her own blood to ice. She is frozen. The only movement in her entire being is the pounding of her heart against her searing chest.

Just moments ago she had been sitting alone and restless in her apartment, wearing Kara’s National City University sweatshirt and a pair of black leggings. She’d been staring absently at the white walls from her white couch. The TV was on, pictures flashing without sound, but she had zoned out completely. The night sky loomed above outside as the clock struck 3.

However, when a certain familiar whoosh followed by the tell-tale thud of a heroine’s boots against concrete pierced the silence, she’d been shaken from her absence and brought back to Earth. 

Of all things that Lena expects to see standing out on her stone balcony at 3 in the morning, Supergirl barefoot and covered head to toe in blood is not one of them.

Kara’s lips move slowly, her white teeth a stark contrast to the crimson surrounding them. She tries to speak, but she makes no sound. She stands there, eyes wide and glassy with shock, and stares helplessly at Lena. 

Even where Lena stands a few feet away, the CEO can see the blonde trembling. The night air must be frigid as January winds howl around the building, Lena thinks, but she’s fairly certain this is not the reason Kara shakes. The observation seems to jerk the raven haired woman out of her own shock. She springs into action, immediately rushing toward the balcony and throwing open the glass door. 

“Sh...she…”

Kara stutters, now, unintelligible syllables tumbling from her lips as Lena gently guides her inside. The CEO’s palms are immediately covered in sticky crimson, so fresh that it’s still warm. Lena pushes the lurch in her stomach down as she helps Kara across the marbled tile of her living room. Blood drips behind them with every step, and Lena makes a note to mop it up as soon as she has a chance. The last thing she wants is for Kara have to see it again.

The blonde aforementioned can hardly walk; every step appears to take tremendous effort, and she shakes like a leaf beneath Lena’s hands. Her breathing is rapid and shallow, and her eyes are wide with an expression no less than pure horror. She is as traumatized as the CEO has ever seen her.

They reach Lena’s bathroom a few moments later. Lena’s eyes dart around, searching for some place to sit the heroine down, but Kara seems to have other plans. She stumbles into the shower, grimacing as her bloodied hand leaves a streak on the otherwise pristine opaque glass. She stares down at the controls, fancy touch screens with more options than Lena even remembers half the time, and her eyes narrow in confusion. 

“Would… would you like help?” Lena asks hesitantly, not wanting to overstep. This is the most vulnerable position either of them have ever been in together. If the CEO is honest with herself, she doesn’t know how to act. Personal relationships are not her forte. God, this one, though… this one, she doesn’t want to screw up.

Kara gives an almost imperceptible nod. She stretches her arms out in front of her and braces herself against the wall, allowing her head to fall toward the floor and her eyes to close. She still shakes with the effort it takes to simply remain standing.

Lena’s heart aches painfully in her chest. A strange and inexplicable urge to get in the shower washes over her, but she decides against pursuing it. She instead reaches into the shower and turns on the water, hot but not scalding, and closes the glass door gently as it begins to spray. 

There are nozzles spraying water from every direction, and Lena watches through the glass as red begins to pool and slide down the drain. Her stomach twists and turns uncomfortably, but she can’t tear her eyes away. She is again frozen, staring at the swirling blood as she listens to Kara’s unsteady breathing. She herself feels unsteady, and her knees threaten to buckle beneath her. 

After what feels like an eternity, Lena can finally make out soaking blonde hair and the reds and blues of Kara’s suit. She’s about to rap her knuckles against the glass door when Kara reaches down and taps the screen beneath her, shutting off the water. Lena remembers her blood-covered hands and quickly rinses them while the last of the water drips through the faucets of the shower.

A heavy silence falls over the two of them, save for Lena’s heartbeat thudding in her ears and Kara’s shallow breaths. Neither of them move a muscle. Though externally they are still, Lena’s mind still races at a million miles an hour.  _ You should be doing something, she needs you, why aren’t you doing anything, open the goddamn door and hold her or - _

“C-can you… off… I can’t g-get it o-off…”

Lena raises an eyebrow in confusion. She pulls back the glass door slowly, hesitant lest she intrude. The red cape that usually flows behind the heroine is soaked and crumpled on the shower floor, and shaking hands fumble with the zipper at the back of the suit. The champion of Earth has never looked so weak and small, and the sight makes Lena want to cry. 

“It’s okay,” she soothes, her voice dropping to a tone that she’s never heard pass her lips before. She steps into the shower behind Kara, then gently guides the blonde’s shaking hands to her sides. Kara complies without protest. Lena is about to pull the zipper when a thought crosses her mind, stopping her in her tracks.

“Kara, I know you’re not in a good place right now, so I just need to check with you to make sure this is okay,” she says nervously, her words tremulous and uncertain. It had occurred to her that the suit is skintight and compact, meaning it may be all that the heroine is wearing.

Kara lets out a sigh, the steadiest semblance of breathing she’s given all night, and her head droops forward in… relief? Realization? Lena isn’t sure, but Kara speaks before she’s given much time to consider it.

“I sh-shouldn’t have p-pushed that on you, I’m… I’m s-sorry…” Kara mutters, reaching for the zipper once again. Her efforts are useless, a fact the heroine knows well as she can’t steady her hands enough to grip the zipper, but she tries anyway. 

“Kara.”

Lena’s hand wraps around Kara’s tentatively, holding tighter this time than before. Their joined hands fall to the blonde’s shoulder, where they rest there for a few silent moments. Lena’s thumb moves instinctively over Kara’s collarbone, offering what little comfort she can think of, and the blonde doesn’t protest. 

“I’ve got you,” Lena reassures, her voice falling to that unfamiliar soothing tone once more. They are only three words, but they seem to provide all the proof Kara needs. She relaxes, letting her hand fall to her side once again. 

Lena reaches toward the zipper for a second time, and her own hands tremble. She feels wrong, almost - guilty, as though she’s somehow taking advantage of the traumatized heroine she’s about to undress. Should she even be doing this? Is Kara coherent enough to realize what she’s consenting to? What if she wakes up in the morning and hates her because she violated privacy when trauma prevented her from thinking clearly? 

How is she even worthy enough to be the one caring for Kara right now?

She almost backs out. She almost apologizes and simply runs for some towels, knowing Kara will be steadier when she’s warmer. She almost runs for her phone and calls Alex.

She almost does, but she feels Kara shivering beneath her hands, and suddenly all of that is out the window. 

Kara needs her right now. She can’t back out because she’s scared of doing this wrong.

With trembling fingers, Lena pulls the zipper down slowly until it reaches the hem of the skirt. The suit is looser, now, no longer clinging to Kara’s skin. The material falls to Kara’s feet, pooling around her ankles. Lena is reminded of the blood swirling around the shower floor just minutes before, and she once again has to swallow down the bile that rises in her throat. It is not about her right now.

As the supersuit falls, Supergirl falls with it. Kara Danvers stands bare, soaking wet, and shivering before Lena, and the raven haired woman can hardly breathe. Fear and protectiveness grip at her chest, and words tumble past her lips before she can stop them.

“What… what do you need? I can get a washcloth and some soap, if you’d like. Or just some clothes. Or a towel, first, you’ll need a towel…”

“I killed her.”

Lena stops, her words getting caught in her throat at Kara’s confession. She plays the words over in her head, but they don’t register. They don’t make sense. It’s as though someone has suddenly dropped her into a horrible nightmare.

“What?”

“I killed her,” Kara repeats, but this time her voice is garbled and wet. Her shoulders are shaking again, and Lena finally notices the redness that has crept into the blonde’s ears. “She was about to kill Alex, and she… she was already s-sick and she was dying and I… I killed her…”

Kara inhales sharply, then lets the breath out as a harsh sob that rattles in her chest. Lena watches as she seems to fold in on herself, her shoulders falling forward as her arms wrap around her middle. She looks small and fragile in a way that Lena has never seen anyone look. The sight sends a physical searing pain through the CEO’s chest, and she doesn’t think before she spins the heroine around and pulls her close.

Kara shatters into so many pieces that Lena isn’t sure she’ll ever be able to put them all together again.

The blonde sobs violently against Lena’s chest, burying herself as far into the fabric of the sweatshirt as is possible. Her arms wrap around Lena’s middle and grip tightly, almost uncomfortably so, but Lena doesn’t dare say a word. The sounds that spill from the heroine’s lips are ones of raw and searing agony that Lena had never even imagined existed. Kara wails, whines, bawls, screams… she is completely and utterly broken.

“What did I do?” she weeps, her voice coming out so broken that Lena hardly even recognizes it. “Oh Rao, what did I do…”

Lena doesn’t know who Kara killed, but she doesn’t care. She doesn’t need to know. Kara Danvers is the purest soul that she has ever met, the kindest and most deserving and genuine that has ever graced her life, and she will stop at nothing to make sure that the heroine shattered in her arms doesn’t hate herself for what she’s done. She will stand in this shower until the sun rises, singing praises and breathing promises like prayers if that’s what it takes. 

She will do anything for this woman.

“Kara Zor-El, listen to me,” Lena begins, cursing herself from the trembling in her voice. She needs to be strong. For her. 

“No, no… y-you’re gonna say it’s okay and it’s n-not…” Kara cries. Her tears have soaked through the sweatshirt, and the wetness forming on Lena’s chest threatens to break her in two. 

“It is,” Lena urges. “It is. I know you, Kara. I know you. And you would never take the life of anyone, human or alien, unless it was the last choice you had.”

“It w-wasn’t the last choice,” Kara insists. “I could’ve stepped between them. I… I could’ve s-saved Alex and taken her place…”

The implications of what Kara describes hit Lena like a freight train to the chest, and her eyes well up with tears so quickly that she doesn’t even have time to stop them.

“That was never an option, Kara,” Lena replies, practically pleading. “Alex needs you. National City needs you.”

Three words teeter on the tip of her tongue, waiting to be said, but Lena hesitates. The last thing Kara needs right now is to deal with explaining her unrequited feelings. But the blonde is twisting her fingers in Lena’s sweatshirt like it’s a lifeline and the CEO will do anything to calm her, and maybe this will work.

“ _ I  _ need you,” she breathes, the confession tumbling from her lips as tears begin to slide down her cheeks. “I need you, Kara.”

Lena waits for Kara’s rebuttal, some new reason why she is a horrible person and deserves to feel this agony, but it doesn’t come. She only continues to cry against Lena’s chest and grip onto her with as much strength as possible without injury. 

“The m-memories…” she whispers through her sobs, “I just w-want… to m-make it stop…”

“I know,” Lena whispers, her lips instinctively pressing into Kara’s soaked blonde locks, “I know.”

Though there’s no way to be sure, Lena’s certain it must take another ten minutes of standing there in silence before Kara’s cries begin to ebb. Gut-wrenching sobs settle into sniffles and damp cheeks. Still, they do not move. Lena doesn’t dare let go unless Kara initiates it. As the blonde begins to calm down, Lena braces herself for the imminent panic about the intimacy of the situation.

To her surprise, the panic never comes. A heavy and exhausted silence falls over the two of them. Kara’s breathing finally begins to even out. For a moment, Lena wonders if the blonde has fallen asleep against her chest. She peers downward ever so slightly and finds bright blue eyes looking back at her.

God. Are they always this bright when she cries?

They hold their gaze for a fleeting moment before Kara tilts her chin down again, resting her head in the crook of Lena’s neck. Lena steps backward carefully, guiding them over the heaps of clothing on the floor, until they’re leaning against the wall of the shower. It’s cold even through the sweatshirt, and it takes all Lena’s might not to shiver at the sensation.

“I’m sorry,” Kara says suddenly, her voice hoarse. It’s crackly and barely audible, and Lena suspects the blonde has lost her voice from crying so hard. 

“What for?” Lena questions, her right hand moving absently up and down Kara’s slightly protruding spine. Kara sighs, her breath hot against Lena’s neck.

“Coming her like this,” she replies. “Putting you in this position. This was… a lot.”

Lena pauses for a moment before she replies, choosing her words carefully.

“Yes,” she admits. “But I’m glad that you chose me. That you trusted me.”

“Of course I trust you, Lee,” Kara says honestly. A comforting warmth spreads through Lena’s chest, a welcome change from the fear that had gripped her minutes before. Were it a better night, she’d have smiled like a fool at the heroine’s honest words.

They settle into silence once again.

“I killed a woman today, Lena.”

Lena sighs, her arms wrapping tighter yet around Kara’s bare shoulders. 

“It’s never easy,” she replies softly. “It’s not supposed to be.”

This seems to be enough for the blonde, for she doesn’t counter Lena’s words. Instead, she steps backward, wriggling out of Lena’s embrace. She doesn’t bother to hide as she clasps her hands in front of her, her eyes scanning Lena’s now-soaked front.

“I’m sorry I got your clothes all wet,” she says quietly, her eyes falling to the ground. Lena sighs and shakes her head though the blonde can’t see her.

“You have nothing to be sorry for,” Lena promises. They both know that the words are about more than a wet sweatshirt, but leave it at that. “I’ll go find us some clothes, and a towel, okay? I’ll be right back.”

Lena waits for Kara’s nod of acknowledgement, then steps carefully out of the shower. She pads into her bedroom and heads straight for the bottom drawer of her dresser. She doesn’t own many casual clothes, but the ones she does own should fit the both of them. She quickly changes into a t-shirt and baggy sweatpants, then grabs a similar outfit for Kara.

When she returns to the bathroom, Kara has already found the towel cabinet. She’s wrapped in the biggest, fluffiest towel that Lena owns. Only her shins and head are visible from behind the giant maroon towel. The CEO bites back a smile at the sight. 

“These should fit. Would you like me to take you home?” Lena asks, handing the shirt and pants over to the blonde. She takes it graciously and begins to pull them onto her now-dry body. Lena turns away, offering Kara some level of privacy.

“I um… I don’t know if I can be alone tonight.”

Lena waits until the shuffling of dressing stops, then turns back to face the heroine. She stands there, clad in a black Beatles t-shirt and baggy gray sweatpants, and Lena has to remind herself how to breathe. 

“You’re welcome to stay, if you’d like,” Lena offers hesitantly. She realizes a moment too late that perhaps Kara was insinuating she’d rather go to Alex’s apartment than her own. The CEO is just about to kick herself for making such an overbearing assumption when Kara gives a bashful nod in response.

Lena feels a weight lifted off her chest. She takes a deep breath, then clears her throat before she responds.

“Let’s lie down,” she suggests, and Kara nods again, this time with more certainty. Deep purple bags have formed rings around her eyes, and Lena wonders how she didn’t notice them before. Kara looks so exhausted that she might pass out if she doesn’t sleep soon.

Wordlessly, Lena reaches out her hand. The heroine takes it graciously, and the two of them walk the short distance from the bathroom to the bedroom. Kara turns off the light behind her, the soaking and still blood-stained supersuit forgotten on the shower floor. They’ll deal with that in the morning; for now, Kara just needs to rest. To heal.

They fall together beneath the covers without hesitation. Lena curls herself protectively around the younger blonde, and Kara welcomes the contact as she pulls herself closer. As Lena’s arm tucks around Kara’s middle, their fingers intertwine without thought. 

“Thank you for being here,” Kara whispers. Her breathing is already slowing. Lena squeezes the blonde’s hand gently, remembering the blonde’s words to her many nights ago when it was she who fell apart.

“There’s nowhere else I’d choose to be but here.”

That moment, the one which feels suspended in time, indefinite and expecting, passes between them once again. This time, however, Lena understands. All the little moments come together in her tired mind, pieces of a puzzle that reveal something she knew from the start, yet couldn’t comprehend. She feels the words on the tip of her tongue, aching to be said.

Still, she refrains. Quickly, she realizes, that whether she had chosen to say the words or not didn’t matter. Kara snores softly beside her, a quiet whistle with every exhale of steady breath. Her tense muscles have relaxed, and the agony that had ripped into her before is nowhere to be found. Sleep has brought her peace, and for that Lena finds herself grateful.

She doesn’t say the words, even though the blonde wouldn’t her her anyway. Still, she allows them to flow through her mind, continuous and concrete and sure. She vaguely registers Kara’s hand squeezing hers tighter in her sleep before her own exhaustion pulls her in. 

 


	4. Chapter 4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Shit man. This made me cry. I hope you like it!

Kara shivers against the cool air of the bathroom, the towel wrapped around her body not doing much to warm her. The water she stood beneath moments before was hot enough to scald human skin, but to her it was perfect. She hadn’t wanted to get out; the water warming her from every direction was so comforting compared to the still chilly air of mid February.

With the edge of the towel, Kara wipes away the condensation on the mirror in front of her. Her eyes dart across her own reflection in curiosity. They land on the scars that had formed on her collarbone: two long, white lines that she earned in her fight with Overgirl when her powers blew out. Even weeks later, the lines had stayed. They no longer frighten her like they used to, but she still doesn’t like to remember the first life she took.

Shaking her head slightly, the blonde averts her gaze and trails back up to her face. Her eyes are dark and sunken, purple from exhaustion. A sigh passes her lips as she realizes she likely hasn’t slept more than eight hours in seven days. The clock on the wall behind her reads 12:30 in the morning, and she guesses that tonight won’t be much different.

There’s a quiet rap at the door that brings the blonde out of her trance. She startles slightly, taking a steadying breath as she turns to open the door. The stainless steel handle is cold against her fingertips, and she hisses in discontent.

When she opens the door, Lena stands there holding a familiar outfit in her hands. It’s the one Kara’s become accustomed to wearing on nights like these. The heroine offers a small smile as she takes the Beatles shirt and baggy grey sweatpants from Lena’s hands, earning a tired smile in return. The raven haired woman is already clad in her own signature outfit, one that nearly mirrors Kara’s. They’d spent many nights here since that night in January, always in the same clothes. Lena’s hair is only just beginning to dry from her own shower.

“You always forget to bring these with you,” Lena teases, and Kara gives her a half grin.

“It’s like you know me,” she retorts, earning a smile from the CEO. She shrugs nonchalantly in response.

“Regardless, you should hurry up. I’m gonna pick a movie without you if you don’t come here soon,” she threatens, her voice trailing as she spins around and heads toward the bedroom. Kara can hear the television playing some old movie that she doesn’t recognize, and she swears she can almost hear the fact that it’s in black and white. Lena had a peculiar affinity for movies from the Stone Age. Though Kara found most of them boring, she still indulged the CEO on some occasions. Tonight, however, she did not intend on watching yet another Charlie Chaplin film.

The blonde quickly drops her towel and pulls on her clothes, not even bothering to hang the towel before racing to the bedroom. Before Lena’s fingers even touch the remote, Kara snatches it off the nightstand and bounds into the bed. Lena stands there in shock, fingers still reaching for the remote. When she finally catches up to what’s just happened, she shoots a playful glare at the heroine before climbing beneath the covers next to her. The two of them prop themselves up with pillows against the headboard, scooting instinctively closer, as Kara flips through the movie channels. Kara bites back a grin as she relishes in her tiny victory.

“Marley and Me… Inside Out… Fault in Our Stars, god no… OH!”

Lena taps Kara’s arm excitedly, snatching the remote from the blonde’s hand without warning. Kara scoffs and turns to her, raising an eyebrow in inquiry, but Lena is oblivious. She’s grinning like a fool as she clicks the enter button, then promptly places the remote next to her on the nightstand.

Kara doesn’t even look at the screen as she begins her warning to the CEO. “Lena, I swear if this is another silent film…”

Lena smiles again, not tearing her eyes from the screen, and shakes her head. “No, it’s not. It’s called La La Land. Have you ever seen it?”

The title sounds familiar, but Kara can’t recall anything about it. She shakes her head, then turns to face the screen. The 20th Century bit is playing, now, as she listens to Lena continue.

“I haven’t either, but I’ve heard of it. It’s this musical set in the 1920’s. Aspiring actress and musician fighting to save the art of jazz,” Lena explains, but Kara barely hears her over her own squeal of excitement. It’s been a long time since she’d seen a new musical, and she’d exhausted her DVD player with recordings of every musical to ever exist. She’s surprised that her Wizard of Oz DVD isn’t a pile of dust with the amount of times she’s watched it.

“You’re the best,” Kara says, pulling the covers further over the two of them. Lena hums contently in response, then reaches over to turn off the lamp beside her.

They watch the film the way they watch most films. There’s moments of silence when they’re completely engrossed in the scene, and then there are times when they simply have to give their commentary. (Lena is quick to make quips about the cheesiness of the love story, and Kara marvels at the choreography and the intricacies of the music.) They dance to the best of their abilities in the bed, then soon decide that being confined simply won’t do. They leap out of bed and brave the cold air to dance on Lena’s wood bedroom floor. They dance poorly and out of time to music turned up far too loudly, laughing more than they should as they twirl each other around. (Kara nearly slips and breaks Lena’s floor, but the CEO’s reflexes are quick enough to catch her.) When the music ends, they crawl back into bed and cuddle up to each other as their goosebump-covered skin readjusts to the warmth.

Kara watches with a strange heaviness in her heart as Mia and Sebastian sit on the bench, daylight shining down on them, in the place where they first danced together to “A Lovely Night.” There’s a sort of resigned air hanging around them, and it settles uncomfortably in the heroine’s stomach. Lena seems to have picked up on the uneasy mood as well; she cuddles closer to Kara, perhaps unconsciously, and threads her arm through the blonde’s.

“I don’t like the way this scene feels,” Lena says, voicing Kara’s exact thoughts. Kara nods against her in a silent response, and the two of them watch on.

The lovers on screen are discussing their futures, and there’s a sense of individuality in the way Sebastian speaks. It soon becomes evident that he’s separating their paths, no longer seeing them as ones than can be melded together. Mia seems to pick up on this, but she still listens to Sebastian, hanging onto his every word. She looks at him with the utmost adoration, and Kara takes a moment to appreciate the spectacular acting in this one little scene. Still, her heart aches as she watches on. She almost wishes that they could rewind the movie and go back to the singing and the dancing, because she can tell that it’s soon to get heavier than either she or Lena expected it to be.

“What do we do?” Mia asks, but her eyes give her away. She already knows the answer.

Sebastian ponders her question for a moment, pretending that there’s some other option. Yet, after only a moment, he gives the obvious answer. “I don’t think we can do anything.”

“Okay, ow,” Kara mutters, attempting to lighten the mood so that she doesn’t feel the ache in her chest. Lena chuckles but doesn’t respond. Kara almost doesn’t want to look down at the raven haired woman’s face, afraid of the heartbreak she’ll find. It never gets any easier to see the woman sad, and Kara wonders for a moment if it’s normal to feel that way. It’s a new sensation, one rivaled only by how she feels toward her sister, but even then it’s still different.

She pushes her thoughts away and returns her focus to the screen.

Not long after, the movie jumps forward five years’ time. Mia is a successful actress, married to a man that’s definitely _not_ Sebastian, much to Kara’s dismay. (“This is tyranny,” Lena mutters, clearly as unsatisfied with the progression as Kara is.) She and her new man are driving to some important destination when they get stuck in traffic. Mia asks if he wants to pull off and get dinner, and the new man agrees. They head into the familiar place where everything began.

“I swear to God,” Lena says to no one in particular, almost like a warning. Kara snorts, amused at the woman’s attempt.

“Lena, I don’t think that’s going to change the outcome,” she teases, earning a small slap to the arm that she barely feels. The blonde bites back a grin as she returns her eyes to the screen.

Sure enough, they come across a club, jazz music faintly playing in the background. The new man asks Mia if she wants to check it out, and she agrees, albeit hesitantly. On her way inside, she sees something that stops her in her tracks. It’s the club’s sign: Seb’s, with a music note for an apostrophe.

“Noooope,” Lena says, pulling the covers up over her face. Kara doesn’t even try to stop the laughter that bubbles from her chest. She wraps an arm around the CEO’s shoulders and pulls her into her side. Lena seems to decide that’s enough protection from the imminent sad confrontation about to come, and she slowly pulls the comforter away from her face.

The scene does not at all go the way Kara expects it to. Mia and Sebastian meet each other’s eyes across the room, but they don’t say a word to each other. Sebastian sits down at his piano and begins to plunk out a familiar melody. The sound alone is enough to make Kara groan in discontent as a heavy sadness settles in her chest, but somehow, it gets worse.

The scene that follows is a montage that can only be titled as “could have been,” and Kara swears it’s the saddest thing she’s ever seen in her life. (And she’s seen Marley and Me.) The scene depicts what life could have looked like if the two of them had stayed together, and it’s scored by a montage of all the most prominent motifs from the film up to that point. Kara and Lena both are completely silent as they watch on in awe, and the heroine finds herself blinking repeatedly so as to sooth the burn building her eyes.

She almost makes it, but then Mia does that movie-magic “one last look” behind her just as she’s about to walk out the door. She and Sebastian stare at each other, somewhat tearfully, with sad smiles on their faces. Sebastian gives a solemn nod, and Mia seems to find the strength to turn away. Sebastian stares after her sadly for a moment, then steadies himself and turns back to the piano. He counts off the band with that sad smile on his face, and the cheesy 1920’s endcard pops up saying “the end.”

As the end credits begin to play, there are tears welling in Kara’s eyes. Lena is silent next to her, and for a moment she wonders if the raven haired woman is even reacting to the movie. She’s about to tease her for being a coldhearted person with no feelings when she feels the woman jerk in her arms.

Kara looks down so fast it should have given her whiplash, and she’s not expecting the sight she sees. Lena’s hand has come up to cover her mouth, and her eyes are screwed shut as tears pour from them freely. Her brow is furrowed so much that the veins in her deep red forehead are popping out.

She takes a sudden shuddering breath, in what Kara assumes is an attempt to steady herself, but its of no use. The exhale that follows is nothing short of a sob, and before either of them have a moment to think, Kara’s pulling Lena into her lap and holding her just as she did the first time she ever saw the CEO cry. Lena doesn’t protest in the slightest as she wraps her arms around Kara’s middle and buries her face in the black fabric of the Beatles shirt.

For a few minutes, Kara doesn’t ask questions as Lena cries into her chest. She wonders if perhaps it’s simply an overreaction due to lack of sleep, but something in her tells her that it’s something more. Lena is crying from real, raw pain that Kara didn’t know existed in her. Her mind races with possibilities of its source, and there’s an unfamiliar pang in her heart as she wonders if she might have a story similar to Mia and Sebastian’s. Shaking her head slightly, she pushes the sensation away and simply focuses on whispering words of comfort into Lena’s reddened ears.

“Can you tell me what’s going on?” the heroine asks softly, her voice taking on a tone she reserves for just two people in this world. Lena takes a long, heavy breath, then nuzzles closer into Kara’s arms. She nods slowly.

It takes a few more minutes for the CEO to steady herself, but she does. Trembling, she gently wriggles out of Kara’s iron grip and settles herself into the blonde’s side instead. Kara’s shirt is soaked all the way to her bare chest with tears, and she makes a note to change out of it when they’re finished talking. (She knows they’ll probably end up falling asleep before she has a chance, but pretends anyway that they’re still somewhat civilized and clean people.)

Lena’s only sniffling now, her eyes still watery and nose still tinted rose. She fiddles with her hands in her lap, her right thumb touching each knuckle on her left hand rhythmically. Kara recognizes the action; she’s seen Alex do it when she’s nervous. The blonde wonders for a moment what might be making Lena nervous, but decides not to question.

“That last scene,” Lena begins, her voice raspy and thick. “Hit really hard.”

Kara nods in understanding, pressing a chaste kiss to the raven haired woman’s temple. The tiniest of smiles tugs at Lena’s lips, but it falls as quickly as it appears. She sniffles, her nose twitching as she does so, then continues her explanation.

“Just… they had so much, y’know? Their love was so real, so _pure_ ,” Lena gushes, gesticulating slightly with her hands. “And then they just couldn’t do anything but watch it fall apart.”

“Well, not really fall apart… it’s not like they hated each other,” Kara offers, and Lena nods in agreement. “Just couldn’t be together because their lives went different directions.”

“Still,” Lena says, sighing. Another tear drips down her left cheek, and Kara is quick to wipe it away. Lena smiles, a bigger smile that stays for a moment, and leans more into the blonde’s side. Kara’s hand runs gently up and down the CEO’s arm as she waits for her to continue.

“But then that last scene, all the could have been’s and that that _look_ ,” Lena explains, and her voice breaks. Her eyes well and cheeks redden anew, and she holds her breath for a moment before releasing it shakily. Kara can feel the way her body trembles again, and she holds on just a little bit tighter. Instinctively, she reaches over and takes hold of Lena’s hand.

She freezes for a moment, afraid she’d made a mistake. She isn’t given much time to worry, because a moment later, Lena clasps their fingers together tightly.

“I don’t want to love somebody and be left one day with could have been’s and should have been’s,” Lena admits, and Kara’s taken aback by her openness. Though they’ve been through much together, and that night with the children’s hospital had made Lena quite vulnerable, nothing has ever been as honest and open as the words she’s just uttered. The blonde can’t find the words to respond, so she instead listens to the slowly accelerating thrum of both their heartbeats.

For a few moments, neither one is able to speak. That feeling is back again. That suspension of time, of something unfinished and indefinite. It’s stronger, now, but Kara realizes that perhaps it isn’t as mysterious as she’d first thought. A possibility begins to form in her mind, but she struggles to grasp it. Whether it is to protect herself from potentially being wrong or because it is so new that she doesn’t know how to handle it, the heroine isn’t certain.

She decides in a moment of courage, after a solid minute of listening to pounding hearts, to take a leap of faith.

“Lena?” she asks quietly, turning her head so as to meet Lena’s eyes. The CEO is already looking back at her, bright green eyes wide and still filled to the brim with unshed tears. Her breath is rapid and warm against Kara’s lips. Kara gulps, pushing down an unexpected urge.

“Yes?” the CEO replies, a sort of hopefulness dripping from her voice. Her eyes dart between Kara’s expectantly. Kara takes a shuddering breath, not sure she can continue.

Still, she pushes on.

“I don’t want should have been’s either,” she whispers, unable to trust her voice. “But I think I know what could be.”

Lena smiles slightly, and Kara thinks she’s catching on. Is this really happening? Or is this a sleep-deprivation-induced hallucination? Does she even like women in…. _That_ way?

The possibility that she might not be straight as she thought she was looms over her, both exciting and somewhat frightening, and she almost says that she has to pee to give herself a moment to prepare for what’s almost certain to happen.

She almost does, but then Lena leans closer to her, and holy shit, she blows it.

Their lips don’t crash together with gentle fervor like they do in the movies. There’s no hurried grabbing of bodies, no flipping each other over or climbing on top of one another. Their lips meet softly and tentatively, hands still clasped together tightly. After a few moments, the kiss deepens slightly, more sure and stable. A shaking hand gently cups Kara’s face, and the blonde smiles into the kiss before she can stop herself.

She doesn’t know when they started, but they’re both crying now, the tears salty against their lips when they pull away for need of air. Their foreheads remain touching, but neither can speak. Sobs of emotions Kara can’t quite comprehend have her body shaking, and Lena is in no better condition. The tears in her own eyes have fallen, now, and she whimpers as her second round of crying begins. Their fingers stay tightly intertwined, their bodies touching at the sides. They’re both shaking like leaves as the weight, albeit good weight, of what’s just happened crashes into them.

Finally, Kara begins to piece together all of the confusion from before. She loves Lena, wholeheartedly and undeniably, and not _just_ as her best friend. She’s loved her from the moment they met, but she could never figure it out. She never understood why every look lingered a bit longer than normal, why seeing her in _that_ dress made her knees buckle, why she felt this unending need to protect her as more than just Supergirl. It didn’t make sense, but it does, now. Kara Danvers is in love with Lena Luthor, and lucky for her, it appears that the same can be said in reverse.

It takes a considerably long time for the two of them to calm down, but when they do, they seem to both be hit by a heavy wave of exhaustion. The darkness beneath their eyes as the clock is nearing three in the morning seems amplified. They crawl beneath the covers and immediately into each other’s arms, their limbs tangling together so tightly that it may take some level of Houdini abilities to escape. Kara can’t say she minds though, nor would she be all to disappointed if they had to miss work in the morning. She considers suggesting the idea, then decides against it. It’s the last thing on her mind right now.

All she can think about is the fact that Lena Luthor is curled around her as closely as possible, pressing soft and gentle kisses to the scars on her collarbones, her body warm and comforting in the darkness and cold of the night. Though the words haven’t been said, they know. They simply know.

Without another word, they soon fall asleep, a peace unlike any they’ve had from the past months washing over them both. Kara presses a still-salty kiss to Lena’s temple, covered slightly by messy dark hair, and this is where she remains as she falls into a dreamland that is no longer more inviting than reality.


	5. Chapter 5

“Come on, Kara, you can do this…”

Lena clutches Kara’s blanket to her chest, anxiety gripping at her heart as she watches the screen intently. It’s 11:30 at night and she and Kara were having another movie night just a week after  _ that  _ one. It was, of course, at her apartment as usual, but the heroine had decided to bring her own blankets so that Lena could curl up with them. She’d always touted how wonderful it was to sleep surrounded by things that smelled of the CEO, and wanted her to experience the same.

Halfway through their night, however, the movie was interrupted with a breaking news story. Reign had once again burned her symbol into the top of a building, a bank’s headquarters this time. The reporters had shown a shot of her hovering ominously over the building when Kara had said she had to go, quickly kissing Lena’s cheek in apology as she sped off in her suit.

Now, Lena is curled up on the couch in the living room, Kara’s blanket wrapped tightly around her as she watches the battle unfold. It’s near enough that she can hear it outside her windows, but not see it. She’s resorted to watching the news report instead. 

It isn’t looking good, though she hates to admit it. Reign is as strong as Kara, if not slightly stronger, and because of this she’s able to inflict real damage to the blonde. Lena shudders as she remembers the first fight, the image of Kara lying motionless in the rubble making her stomach twist. She clutches the blanket tighter and reassures herself that that won’t happen again, that Kara is stronger now, that she knows better.

Still, she can’t be sure. Kara’s injured again, blood dripping heavily from her nose and busted lip as bruises line her jaw from one-too-many uppercuts. Lena can only imagine the injuries on the rest of her body, the many bruises and minor cuts that must cover her from head to toe. She hopes, selfishly, that the blonde will return to her when the fight is over instead of heading to the DEO. She’s installed a few sun lamps in the spare bedroom for the blonde, a project they completed weeks ago, and can only hope that Kara will remember when the fight is done.

Kara delivers a heavy blow to Reign’s face, square between the eyes, and sends the villain reeling backwards through the air. She flips a few times, and Lena gasps when she steadies herself.

She’s bleeding. Reign is bleeding. It’s only a bloody nose, but it sends a sick rush of hope through the CEO. If Kara can injure Reign in the same way that the villain injures her, Kara has a chance. Kara can beat her. She can -

A loud booming sound startles Lena out of her thoughts. Her eyes immediately jerk back to the television, and she lets out a yelp when she sees what’s happened. Apparently the damaging blow that Kara delivered angered Reign, because she’s thrown Kara  _ hard  _ against a steel structure still in construction. For a moment, the heroine doesn’t move, but she finally lifts her head and stares at Reign with utter disgust in her eyes. Though the television is unable to pick up the conversation occurring between the two of them, the earpiece in Lena’s ear does. (Soon after that night watching La La Land, Kara had introduced Lena to the DEO, and Alex had given her an earpiece to wear when Kara had to run off as Supergirl. She’d explained that she understood how much the CEO cared for her sister, and didn’t want her to have to feel in the dark.)

“It doesn’t have to be like this,” Kara pants, her voice still strong despite how tired she looks. Reign lets go of her, and for a moment Lena is terrified that the blonde will fall once again. 

She doesn’t. Somehow, she can still fly, and hovers with Reign next to the steel structure. Miraculously, it still stands strong despite the giant dent in one of its supporting beams. 

“I will kill you,” Reign threatens, and it sounds more like a promise that makes Lena’s heart jump into her throat. “But not today. It is not enjoyable if you can’t fight back. But you are getting stronger.”

“I am. And the next time you see me, I’m going to make sure you never hurt anyone again,” Kara promises. She lifts her head, and the camera zooms into her and Reign’s faces. Both their eyes are full of a mutual hatred, but there’s a strange sort of resignation in Reign’s that gives Lena hope again.

“You are wrong,” the villain says simply. “Until next time, Supergirl.”

With that, Reign shoots into the sky, disappearing behind the grey clouds.

Kara hardly hesitates before disappearing herself, flying in the opposite direction.

“Come home to me, Kara,” Lena whispers hopefully, standing and making her way to the balcony. She stares at the plot of concrete, praying that red boots will land there any second now. Her fingers twist together anxiously, but she doesn’t move.

The earpiece in her ear crackles. It’s usually off save for Kara’s voice, so that Lena doesn’t worry more than she has to, but this time it is Alex’s voice that comes through the comms system.

“You set up the sun lamps, right?” she asks. Her voice is slightly garbled, as though she’s been crying. Lena’s heart aches in her chest. She can only imagine the hell it must be for Alex to watch her sister get beaten so badly and be unable to stop it. 

“Of course,” Lena says.

“Kara’s heading your way. J’onn and I are going to try to track Reign and go after her, but if we don’t find her in an hour we’re coming over. I know she’ll be safe with you while we’re gone. Just… please,” she pleads, her voice breaking on her last word, “please take care of my little sister.”

Kara lands on the balcony now, stumbling until she leans on the railing for support. Lena rushes to the glass door and pulls it open, one arm immediately wrapping beneath the heroine’s shoulders as she guides them both inside. The other hand pulls the door shut, ceasing the flow of cool air into her apartment.

“I’ve got her,” Lena promises, wincing as she hears Kara’s groans and whimpers as they walk. “I’ve got you.”

“We’ll be there soon,” Alex reassures, taking a deep breath. “I love you, Kara.”

“I love you too, Alex,” Kara replies through gritted teeth. The comms system crackles, then dies out. Kara and Lena both take the earpieces out of their ears and deposit them on the coffee table as they walk by.

“I’ve got the sun lamps set up, they’ve been on since you left so they should be -”

“No, please,” Kara whispers, groaning as her knee gives out. Lena leans down and lifts the heroine up again, supporting more of her weight. Kara’s head droops forward for a moment as she takes a deep breath, then gives a small nod to keep walking. “I just want to get clean first.”

Lena nods in understanding. She thinks back to the first time Kara landed on her balcony, covered in blood that wasn’t her own. She remembers the way the water seemed to break down the walls of strength that she had put up, and she wonders for a moment if the same thing is bound to happen tonight. 

“Okay,” Lena agrees as they step into the bathroom. “I’ll be right here if you -”

“Join me?”

Kara looks at her now from two bruised eyes, dark from the bruises and exhaustion combined. They’re filled with a mix of emotions that Lena attempts to identify - sadness, hope, perhaps fear. They’re slightly glossy as the slightest semblance of tears fills them.

Lena can’t help the slight gasp that escapes her lips. She’s caught offguard by the intimacy of Kara’s request. While they had made a habit of sharing close cuddles, offhand touches, and sparse kisses on the lips in the week that had passed since that night, they had gone no further and had not even been ready to discuss what was happening between them. It was entirely new and frightening, and so neither had pushed the other. Now, Kara is asking Lena to bare everything before her, even in a nonsensual way, and she can’t help the way she freezes before she reacts.

She regrets not responding quickly because she sees Kara immediately begin to panic, looking down and shaking her head. She stumbles away from Lena, hardly able to hold her own weight, and mutters something about being stupid and way too forward. Her ears redden and Lena thinks she sees the blonde’s chin quiver.

She immediately rushes over and wraps Kara in her arms, pulling her close without speaking. Kara doesn’t react at first, and for a moment Lena wonders if she should have given her space to calm herself first. Finally, after a moment of nothing, the heroine lets out a sigh as she melts into Lena’s embrace and wraps her arms around the CEO’s middle. Nearly all of Kara’s weight falls against Lena, but she holds the two of them upright with ease. Kara buries her face in Lena’s neck, her breath slow and labored against the CEO’s collarbone.

“I would love to join you,” Lena replies, her voice low and soothing. She sways slightly, almost rocking the woman in her arms as a form of comfort. It still jars her sometimes to hold the Girl of Steel, her uniform tattered but still on, and see her look so small. The heroine is a symbol of strength and hope, and it’s hard to see her appear so defeated.

“Would you like help out of your suit?” Lena asks softly, letting her cheek rest against the top of Kara’s head. She instinctively runs her thumb across the back of the zipper, her hand slipping beneath the heavy red cape. Kara nods gently into her neck.

With a thudding heart, Lena first detaches the cape from the suit, letting it fall to the floor without a second thought. Kara shivers against the sudden lack of warmth on her back, and Lena runs her hands up the length of her spine in a halfhearted attempt to warm her. When her fingers reach the nape of the heroine’s neck, she fumbles with the zipper for a moment before gently pulling it down. Kara steps back, releasing her grip around Lena’s middle, and allows herself to be helped out of the suit. It too falls to the floor around her ankles, and she steps shakily out of it before kicking it to the side with her suit. 

Lena sighs as she sees the blonde trembling, and she’s unsure whether it’s from the cold air or the intimacy of the whole situation. The last time Kara bared all of herself, she was in shock, not coherent enough to fully process what was happening. Now, however, Lena sees that she’s entirely aware and perhaps a bit intimidated. Her eyes are glued to the marble tile floor, and she covers her chest with her arms crossed in front of her. 

The CEO’s eyes quickly scan Kara’s body, her heart breaking as she sees the bruises and cuts covering it. She can practically identify every place that Reign’s fist connected with the blonde’s skin, huge bruises and cuts from sharp nails drawing a map over the heroine’s body. Both her eyes are dark and sunken, and her face is covered in dried blood from a potentially broken nose and certainly busted lip. Lena wishes for a moment that she could convince the blonde to rest beneath the sun lamps to help her injuries, but reminds herself that all Kara wants is to shower first. 

“I’ll be fine,” Kara reassures suddenly, her voice slightly raspy from exhaustion and lack of use. She looks up, now, meeting the CEO’s eyes. She seems to almost be folding in on herself, timid and uncertain. Still, despite her shakiness, she offers a comforting smile to the CEO. (It will always amaze Lena that even when Kara is covered in bruises, she still goes out of her way to reassure those around her that everything is okay.)

“I know, it’s just…” Lena begins, tugging on her own clothes. She discards her shirt next to Kara’s suit, shuddering as the cool air hits her bare torso. “I still worry.”

A moment later, her sweatpants are added to the pile of clothes next to them, and the two of them stand completely exposed in front of each other for the first time.

For a moment, they don’t move. Kara’s eyes rake slowly up and down the CEO’s body, staring unabashedly at ivory skin and a near perfect hourglass figure. Her mouth is slightly agape, and if the object of her affection were not badly beaten and bleeding, Lena might have smiled at Kara’s lingering gaze. However, her worry far outweighs her giddiness, and she decides to tease the blonde only after they’re showered and Kara’s resting beneath the sun lamps. 

Wordlessly, the two of them step into the shower, and Lena turns the water to a temperature that is near scalding. She has always showered beneath water that nearly burns her skin, but not quite. She supposes that the habit works in her favor at the moment, because scalding to her feels normal to Kara. The hot water sprays at them from every direction, covering them in a blanket of warmth that is welcome after the cool air that they stood in before.

Kara’s head droops, her shoulders falling forward as she allows the main showerhead to pelt her back with heat. As the water runs down her skin, the dirt, sweat, and blood comes with it. Lena watches in silence, her heart no longer pounding against her ribcage as it had before. Though it still aches, a strange serenity has washed over her and replaced the nervousness. Standing there, watching as the one she cares so deeply for washes away the evidence of a trying battle, she feels almost as though this is simply… normal. It feels right, and though it doesn’t quite make sense, she decides that now is not the time to question it. 

Kara reaches up to run her hands through her hair, but she groans when her arms reach shoulder level. It’s no wonder as to why, either; when Reign slammed the heroine against the steel structure, she pushed right against her shoulders. The blonde’s arms drop in defeat, falling to her sides. She looks down, her jaw clenched in frustration at her inability to perform even a basic task.

Hesitantly, Lena steps forward. She gently guides the heroine beneath the stream of the main showerhead, then tilts her chin up with her index finger. Kara obliges, closing her eyes as the water soaks her hair. Lena carefully reaches over her and threads her fingers through tangled blonde locks, ensuring that the water soaks completely through them. When she’s finished with her ministrations, Kara tilts her head back up and tentatively opens her eyes. A few drops of water drip into them, but she seems unfazed. 

The dried blood on her face is beginning to come off, but not quite. On the shower wall next to them is a clear rod with washcloths and loofas galore hanging from it. Lena scans the selection for a dark colored one, not wanting to startle the blonde with the sight of her own blood on the cloth, and finds a navy blue cloth at the far end of the rod. She pulls it off and runs it under the hot water. Kara is silent as she watches, not protesting.

When the cloth is sufficiently soaked, dripping onto the shower floor, Lena returns to the blonde. Her eyelids droop from exhaustion, but she’s still holding herself upright. Ocean blue eyes meet emeralds, and they remain there in silence. They do not stray as Lena moves forward, hesitantly lifting the washcloth to the blood on Kara’s face. The CEO awaits the imminent jerking away, the rejection, but it never comes. Kara simply stands there, eyes glossy as she stares and allows Lena to do as she pleases.

The raven haired woman moves as slowly and softly as possible, knowing full well how much it hurts to be punched in the face. She wipes the blonde’s lip first, wiping the crimson away to reveal the severity of the busted lip. It’s not as bad as Lena expected, but Kara still hisses in pain as the protective layer of blood disappears and air reaches the wound. Lena mutters a string of apologies and instinctively rests her unoccupied hand on the blonde’s shoulder, her thumb moving slowly across her collarbone. She moves on to the blood beneath Kara’s nose, gently swiping the cloth above the blonde’s upper lip. Kara whimpers this time, tensing as the cloth presses against the tender cartilage of her nose. Tears spring to her eyes, and Lena swears she almost begins to cry, too.

“I’m so sorry,” she whispers, quickly but carefully wiping away the rest of the blood on the blonde’s face. The blood is now completely clean from her body, and only the bruises remain. Lena turns away for a moment, holding the cloth under a particularly strong stream of water. A sickening crimson swirls around the drain, and she’s grateful when the water finally turns clear again. She tosses the cloth to the ground, knowing it will need to be washed later, and turns back to the heroine standing before her.

Lena’s heart skips a beat at the sight. One hand covers the blonde’s eyes, and her face is a deep red that Lena is certain is not caused by the heat of the water. Her lips are pursed tightly together, but they quiver with the effort it’s taking to keep her expression still. Her body jerks, a stifled sob that doesn’t pass her lips.

“Kara?” Lena inquires, panic evident in her voice. Had she hurt her? Did she press too hard and make the pain worse?

“What if I can’t stop her, Lena?” Kara asks, her voice thick and strained. “Every single time I fail, more people die. What if… what if I can’t…”

Without a second thought, Lena rushes forward, catching the blonde as she collapses into her arms. Their bodies press flush together as Lena pulls Kara close to her, their skin hot as they wrap their arms around each other in a tight embrace. Kara’s composure cracks, and her body jerks with harsh sobs that make Lena’s heart shatter into a million pieces. Though they stand beneath waterfalls, Lena can feel the blonde’s tears slipping down her chest. She simply holds the woman close to her and lets her cry, pressing soft kisses to any part of her that she can reach. Kara’s fingers dig into Lena’s back, nearly causing pain, but the raven haired woman doesn’t dare say a word. She lets Kara ground herself in the softness of ivory skin and holds her as tight as possible without inflicting pain.

“I’m not good enough,” the heroine cries, sniffling as she tries to speak. “I can’t beat her, I can’t… I can’t save them.”

In every meeting she and Supergirl had before the reveal, Lena never thought about this. She never considered this side of heroism. The public only ever sees the action, the swinging fists and triumphant smiles. On occasion, they see their hero fall, unable to beat the challenge they face. The one thing they never see is the emotion, the humanity of the hero in the aftermath of all of this action. Lena had never considered how burdensome and heartbreaking it is to not be able to save everyone until she saw the burden herself. Now, she would give anything to take that away.

“You are doing everything that you can, Kara, and you know that,” Lena promises, a pang shooting through her heart as the blonde struggles for breath between sobs. 

“It’s not enough,” she replies brokenly. “It’s not enough because she’s still taking lives.”

“Kara…” Lena begins, searching for the right words. She hates this. She hates that she can’t promise the blonde that no harm will come to the citizens, that Reign will, with certainty, be defeated. The harsh truth is that neither of them can be sure, and there is real risk that Kara may not be able to stop the villain this time around. Even when she gives it everything she has. 

Instead of making promises she can’t keep, Lena decides to stick to honesty instead.

“I can’t promise that Reign can be defeated, and I can’t promise that she won’t hurt anyone,” the CEO admits, and Kara gives a sob against her chest in return. “But I know that you’re fighting with everything you’ve got, and they know that too.”

“What kind of hero am I if let my people die?” Kara presses, a shudder running down her spine. Lena rubs her hand up and down the blonde’s back for a moment, then sighs. The answer, though honest, is not an easy one to give.

“I know you want to, but sometimes you can’t save everyone,” Lena admits, finally coming to the conclusion that they both knew but didn’t want to acknowledge. A strangled sob forces its way up Kara’s throat, and is followed by a wave of cries that wrack the blonde’s frame for a heartwrenching minute.

Slowly, Kara’s cries begin to ebb. Heavy sobs relax into streaming tears and a running nose, and soon nothing more than misty eyes and sniffles into Lena’s neck. Though the CEO’s feet are going numb, the two of them remain there, tightly wrapped in the other’s embrace, for several minutes after the blonde calms down. The water is beginning to cool down, but only just. Still, neither of them make a move to turn it off. 

Instead, Kara silently pulls back and turns around, her eyes scanning the shower caddy that hangs from the main showerhead. In it is an impressive collection of high-end shampoos, deep conditioners, and body washes with every scent one could imagine. After a moment of deliberation, she pulls out a lavender scented shampoo and Lena’s favorite body wash, a cashmere scented one that comes out seasonally from Bath and Body Works. It’s the least full of all of them, and the CEO wonders for a moment if Kara chose it specifically for that reason. The blonde turns around again, setting the bottles on the shelf next to her before reaching for a large blue loofa that hangs from the rod nearby. 

Lena tilts her head backward beneath one of the overhead streams, a soft sigh escaping her lips as the water soaks through her long raven locks. She reaches backward to thread her fingers through them, ensuring that the water has reached every nook and cranny. When she brings her head back down and opens her eyes, Kara holds out the open bottle of shampoo. The CEO holds her hand out and accepts a quarter-sized dollop of the soap. She rubs her hands together and threads the soap all through her hair to the very tips, feeling the weight of it pulling her neck backward as she does so. She rinses the soap, relishing in the way that it slides down her back in the process.

When she lowers her head again, Kara is rinsing soap out of her own air, her lip pulled between her teeth. Her eyes screw shut in pain, and for a moment, Lena considers reaching forward and helping the blonde. She decides against it, however, wanting to allow her some semblance of independence despite her injuries. After a few more whimpers of pain, Kara finally lowers her arms, the soap rinsed from her hair.

She looks so exhausted. Her eyes are even more sunken than they were when she returned home, and now they’re red and bloodshot as well. They lack their usual brightness, and instead are replaced by a dull, lifeless grey-blue. Though her stability has improved since getting into the shower, Lena wonders once more if the blonde will collapse.

She reaches for the loofa and body wash, squeezing a generous amount of the soap onto the soft lace. Tentatively, she steps forward, gently urging the blonde to turn around. 

The raven haired woman glides the loofa across bruised and battered skin with the utmost gentleness, swiping at patches of purple and blue and the occasional hint of crimson. Kara’s head falls forward, and her shoulders rise and fall slowly, her panic nowhere to be found. She remains still as Lena guides the suds over every inch of her back, a comfortable silence falling over the two of them. There is no need for words, so they don’t try to create them.

When Lena is finished rinsing the suds off of Kara’s purple skin, the blonde almost immediately takes the loofa from her hands. She turns Lena around the same way the CEO had done to her, and Lena practically melts when she feels the soft lace gliding across her back. It travels the valleys of her spine, the path between her shoulderblades and ribs, until finally every inch has been touched. 

The two face each other once again, their tired eyes misty and filled with the same feeling from a week ago. The water is only lukewarm now, but neither of them seem to notice. It’s as though Lena’s vision tunnels. All she can see is Kara’s eyes, looking at her like  _ that,  _ and everything else around her ceases to exist.

Kara closes the distance between them, their lips meeting softly so as not to cause too much pain. The blonde winces slightly, but when Lena tries to pull away, she feels a gentle hand wrap around her neck and keep her in her place. Their torsos meet, soft and damp skin melding together perfectly. Lena’s right hand rests in the small of Kara’s back, and the other reaches up to cup her cheek. Her cheek is pillow soft beneath her thumb, and the CEO thinks that she wouldn’t mind if they stayed this way forever. 

When the water finally gets too cold, they reluctantly pull away and Lena switches off the water. Not wanting Kara to bear any more discomfort than she has to, the CEO braves the cool air of the bathroom and pads to the towel closet, reaching for the softest towels she can find. She wraps one around herself, then hands the other to Kara, who’s already stepped out of the still-dripping shower. 

They dry off in silence, then head for the bedroom. They leave their clothes forgotten on the bathroom floor, too exhausted to care, and Lena finds options for pajamas. She settles on two more t-shirts and old basketball shorts, unable to find anything else suitable. The outfits they usually wear are either dirty or left on the bathroom floor, but the CEO supposes the shorts will do. Kara offers a small smile as she pulls the outfit on. (Lena finds it hard to breathe when she sees Kara in basketball shorts, but forces herself to function anyway. It is not yet time for teasing.)

They head to the spare bedroom, but not before grabbing Kara’s blanket from the couch. Kara climbs into the small but comfortable bed that Lena has set up, shivering until Lena switches the lamps on and heat washes over her. There’s a soft recliner placed right next to the bed, and Lena falls into it immediately after turning on the lamps. Kara tilts her head to the side to face her, then reaches out her hand.

Lena quickly pulls the blanket over her body, sighing in content at the warmth it brings, and reaches out to intertwine her fingers with Kara’s. It’s a somewhat awkward position, but she doesn’t mind. 

“I love you, Kara Zor-El,” Lena whispers, far too exhausted to think before she speaks. She isn’t given even a moment to regret her forwardness, because Kara breaks into a toothy exhausted grin. 

“And I love you, Lena Luthor,” she replies. The words settle with a heavy warmth in the CEO’s chest, and they repeat like a record in her mind. She wants to hear them again and again, and God, her name has never sounded as beautiful as when Kara says it. 

Both their eyes droop heavily, and every blink is longer than the last. Kara squeezes Lena’s hand, and the CEO can’t help the content smile that comes to her lips. She squeezes back, her thumb brushing against each of the blonde’s battered knuckles in response. They fall into a peaceful sleep before either of them realize it, Kara’s profession ringing in Lena’s ears as darkness pulls her in.

\----

Alex gets to Lena’s apartment half an hour later, letting herself in with the key she’d been given at the same time as Lena’s earpiece. The only light comes from the spare bedroom down the hall. She tiptoes to the room, not wanting to wake either of them.

When she peeks her head inside and sees the two of them, still holding hands with tiny smiles on their restful faces, she can’t help but smile herself. Her eyes sting with grateful tears as she watches them silently. It will never stop being scary to see her sister covered in bruises and cuts, but that fear is nearly overshadowed by the peace she feels as she looks at Lena. Any doubt or fear she had about the woman is gone; now, it is replaced by a gratitude she can’t describe for the love that Lena has for her sister. Kara is everything to her, and her happiness is everything to her. 

Looking at Lena, clutching Kara’s hand and smiling even in her sleep, Alex thinks that perhaps finally Kara has found the person she was supposed to find. 

The brunette tiptoes over to the bed where Kara lies and places a soft kiss to her sister’s forehead. She stirs, but only for a moment. 

Alex’s eyes fall on Lena again, who shifts slightly while still holding onto Kara tightly. 

She knows that the woman can’t hear her, but she whispers a thank you anyway before she quietly heads out the door.


	6. Chapter 6

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> All of you are SO. FREAKING. SWEET. Your comments mean the absolute world to me, and I appreciate beyond words that you take the time to say something kind about this story. I really like this chapter, personally, and hope that you enjoy it as much as I do :)

Lena rubs the bridge of her nose, sighing in defeat. She has way too much to do. CatCo publishes tomorrow morning and only half of the content is submitted, some angry businessman is raising havoc at LCorp, and Lena is just  _ so  _ tired. She loves her work, and loves  _ to _ work. It’s just not nearly as fun when everything piles up at once and suddenly the deadlines for every single thing in the pile are within hours.

The CEO looks down at her left wrist, the face of a sleek black watch staring back at her. It reads 7:02 pm. It’s earlier than she expected it to be; as the winter ends and spring begins, the days are getting longer, meaning its staying light longer. Still, she has managed to stay at work past the sunset for the evening, and the sky is nearly pitch black. 

Her phone buzzes from its place next to her laptop. Lena closes the lid of the computer, deciding that no more productive work could be done when she’s this drained, and gingerly lifts the phone. The name that appears seems to take a weight off her shoulders, and she smiles as she opens the message.

**Kara Zor-El:** You busy, boss?

**Lee <3: ** Definitely not. I believe I’ve reached my limit for the day. 

**Kara Zor-El:** Good. Then that means you can come over???

Lena grins, now, ear to ear with teeth bared and all. She types back a quick “be there in ten” with Kara’s favorite blue heart emoji, then proceeds to stand and stretch her aching legs. Knowing she’ll be back in the office at some ungodly hour the next morning, she decides to leave her laptop and files where they sit. She pulls her purse over her shoulder and shuts off the lights, gently swinging the door shut behind her as she leaves. 

\---

Kara is an absolute mess. She has ten minutes to finish setting up her apartment, and even with superspeed, she’s not sure she’s going to finish it. She’s got the blanket fort in the bedroom to build, candles to light, and rose petals to scatter across the floor. She’s only just finished dinner - roasted parmesan vegetables and creamy pesto chicken for the health nut in the pair of them. It smells good, and it looks like it did on Pinterest, so the blonde considers her cooking adventure a success. 

Now, five minutes later, she’s struggling to zip up the dress she’s wearing on her own. She stands in the mirror, twisted awkwardly as she attempts to reach that one damned spot that’s just out of her reach. She considers leaving it halfway unzipped, knowing they’ll surely soon be in pajamas anyway, but she decides against it. She’s planned this night specifically, and it  _ will  _ go the way she planned.

With a few more moments of twisting and dancing before her own reflection, she finally manages to get the zipper to the top of the dress. She threads the white belt to accompany it around her waist, fastening it tightly but to where she can still breathe. She looks up into the mirror and assesses her appearance.

“Dammit,” she mutters, noticing the smudge of her lipstick. It’s only slight, but it’s enough to annoy her. She fixes it quickly and ruffles her long, freshly-washed and dried hair so that it falls in golden curtains over her shoulders. Finally satisfied, she rushes into the bedroom so quickly she almost runs into the bathroom’s doorframe on her way out. 

Ten minutes of impressively quick work later, the apartment looks fancy enough to be a five star restaraunt. The kitchen table is donned with vegetables, chicken, and French baguettes (yes, she flew to Paris to get them). The lights are off, but the place is illuminated with a mix of real wax and battery-powered candles. Rose petals are scattered over every surface except the kitchen table, and there’s a perfect line from Lena’s chair to the piano in the corner of the bedroom. It’s a beautiful maroon baby grand that Alex found her a couple of weeks ago, but Lena hasn’t seen it yet. Kara grins to herself as she remembers her plans for the evening, knowing that Lena will almost certainly like the piano after the night is through.

As she’s admiring her work, she hears three soft raps on her door. Her smile grows wider as she practically prances to the doorway, her bare feet thudding softly against the wooden floors.

“I’m going to need you to close your eyes, Miss Luthor,” she teases as she opens the door just a crack. She hides her body, not wanting the CEO to see her outfit, but she can’t stop the toothy grin that continues to grow on her lips. 

Lena raises an eyebrow, though she too is smiling now. 

“Kara…” she says, drawing out the blonde’s name in an odd mix of a question and a warning. Kara chuckles and gently takes the CEO’s hand, only pulling her inside after she’s closed her eyes. The door clicks softly shut behind them. Kara eases the raven haired woman’s coat off her shoulders and hangs it on the rack behind them, doing the same with her Chanel purse. She wears a beautiful black dress underneath, one of Kara’s absolute favorites, and the heroine reminds herself that she still has to breathe.

“Did you… did you cook?” Lena asks, almost incredulously. She seems to have picked up on the scent in the air. 

Kara scoffs, feigning offense as she lowers Lena into the kitchen chair next to her. It’s the one at the head of the table that faces the door, so that the CEO cannot see into the bedroom where the piano sits. 

“She says with surprise in her voice for some reason,” she mocks, recalling something that Lena had said to her months ago. Lena grins, now, seeming to catch the reference. She scoots up to the table, eyes still closed, and folds her hands patiently on the mahogany surface. 

Kara hurriedly moves away from her and stands next to her own chair so that Lena can see her full outfit. She can’t bite back the smile on her face, and she figures there’s no reason to try.

“Open your eyes.”

Lena does as she’s told.

Kara only manages to restrain herself for two seconds before she lets out an excited squee. Lena’s beaming at the sight before her, her beautiful green eyes shimmering as candlelight reflects off of them. She lets out a chuckle of disbelief as her mouth falls slightly agape at the sight before her. Kara’s heart is restless, but she’s filled with warmth as she watches Lena’s reaction unfold. 

“This only happens in movies,” the raven haired woman insists, gesturing to the romantic setting around them. “This isn’t supposed to happen in real life.”

Kara chuckles, pulling out her chair softly so as not to scrape it against the wood. She settles into the cushioned seat and reaches for the platters before her. She hasn’t eaten in two hours, and she’s almost quite literally starving. She hears Lena mutter something about her constant hunger, but she can’t pretend she’s bothered. She offers the platter of chicken to Lena.

“You’re the lady of honor, you pick first,” the blonde decides. Lena’s grin softens into a gentle smile, and she nods graciously. She takes one of the chicken breasts and places it on her plate, shaking her head.

“What?”

“You really did this,” she says, as though she still can’t believe it even though it’s right in front of her eyes. “You put all this together.”

Kara smiles at Lena, pausing for a moment as she sets down the tray of vegetables between the two of them. 

“Yeah, well… you deserve it,” she says quietly, her voice taking on a tone she seems to use a lot with Lena.

She doesn’t miss the way Lena’s eyes water for a moment, but she doesn’t mention it, either.

They eat slowly, taking a bite only every minute or so. Though the food is delicious, the conversation is just as enticing. They talk through their days, about Snapper’s insufferability and angry businessmen who think the world revolves around them, and Kara thinks that Lena is like a breath of relief. The tension from her day leaves her with every word Lena speaks, and she can visibly see the way Lena relaxes as well. An hour later, the food is all but gone and they’re finally calm. They lean back in their chairs, comfortably full and somewhat sleepy from the long day behind them.

“You look ready to crash,” Kara teases, and Lena gives a halfhearted smile, her eyelids drooping. It’s then that Kara notices the dark circles that have formed beneath the CEO’s emerald orbs.

“As do you,” Lena counters. Kara can’t say she’s wrong by any means, for she’s quite looking forward to crawling into one of their beds when the night is through. She hums as she imagines the sensation of sinking into a mattress.

As enticing as the image may be, the heroine pushes it aside. The night is not yet through. Kara thinks of the piano sitting in her bedroom, and her heart thuds against her ribcage. A spike of anxiety grips her chest, but she swallows it away. This is her favorite part of her plan, and she’ll be damned if she doesn’t go through with it.

“Just one more thing before we go to bed,” she says. Lena raises an eyebrow in inquiry, tilting her head to the side.

Kara reaches for Lena’s hand, now, and beckons for her to stand. The raven haired woman complies, that same confused expression on her face, then follows Kara’s lead. Though the blonde can’t see her face as she walks in front, she can still hear the delighted giggles beginning to bubble from Lena’s lips as she notices the trail of rose petals.

“A trail of petals,” she begins, her voice light and teasing. “Just what are you wearing beneath that dress, again, Miss Danvers?”

Kara almost chokes as she feels her whole body heat up, and she’s almost certain she turns as red as her cape from the neck up. She’s grateful for the dim light of the room as she lets out a sheepish chuckle, her head hanging in embarrassment. She can practically feel Lena’s knowing grin behind her, and she considers turning around to wipe that smile off her face.

They soon reach the piano, however, and she hears Lena gasp. Kara turns, now, finally looking at the CEO’s face. Her eyes are wide with wonder, and one hand covers her mouth. Kara can still see the tops of her cheeks pushing up above the top of her hand; she’s smiling ear to ear. The sight fills Kara with a childish giddiness, and she grins in response as the two of them sit down on the plush piano bench.

“Kara, this is gorgeous,” Lena coos, her eyes scanning every inch of the instrument. She runs her fingers gently across the glossy wood, almost as if she’s afraid to break it. Her eyes are wide with delight, now, and Kara’s cheeks begin to burn from how hard she smiles.

“Alex found it a little while ago,” she explains, carefully pulling back the piece of wood that covers the keys. Beneath the cover are 88 beautifully crafted and polished keys, gleaming even under only the light of the moon and the candles. The blonde’s fingers settle onto a chord, one she double and triple checks to ensure it’s the right one, then stills.

“You remember last week how you caught me singing in the shower, and you asked me what song it was?” Kara asks. She turns to look at Lena again, and her heart fills with warmth and joy when she sees the CEO’s reaction. She’s blushing, her cheeks rosy against otherwise pale skin, and she smiles bashfully as her eyes fall to the keys. She nods, whispering something along the lines of “I do remember that.”

Kara smiles again and leans over, unable to help the way she presses a quick but gentle kiss to the top of Lena’s bowed head. 

“I figured, since I’ve got this piano now, perhaps I could show you,” Kara offers. She feels a strange sort of nervousness at her proposition. Lena quells that worry instantly, however, when she looks up at her with misty eyes and an excited smile. 

“I would love that,” she agrees, scooting away only slightly so as to give the heroine room to move. Kara smiles as a shaky but relieved breath trickles from her lips. She glances down at her fingers, still settled on that specific chord. They’re shaking, and the heroine wonders how she’s going to play this song without tripping over wrong notes.

She’s about to take a breath and begin when she feels the space between the two of them close, and two soft lips press to her exposed shoulder. The kiss is followed by a warm hand on the middle of her back, at the part right above her hips that curves in slightly. 

“You’re trembling,” Lena points out, and Kara kicks herself mentally. She hadn’t wanted Lena to notice. But, she realizes she can’t have expected her not to; the CEO is a very observant woman. Kara sighs, her fingers relaxing from their poised position. Still, they remain on the right keys.

“I’m going to mess up,” the blonde says, her voice unsteady. Her eyes remain trained on the keys before her.

“I like imperfect,” Lena replies, that low and soothing tone Kara loves so much emerging. “I would love to hear your imperfect song.”

Kara blinks away the sting in her eyes as she takes a breath.

“Can’t say how the days will unfold

Can’t change what the future may hold

But I want you in it

Every hour

Every minute.”

Her voice comes out clearer than she expects, and she smiles in relief. From the corner of her eye, Kara can see the way Lena’s staring at her in awe. 

“This world can race by far too fast

Hard to see while it’s all flying past

But it’s clear now

When you’re standing her now

I am meant to be wherever you are next to me.”

That sting in her eyes is back now, accompanied by a lump in her throat. It’s different, though. It’s good. It’s nothing like the tears they’ve cried before.

Kara takes a steadying breath, letting the chord ring out for a few beats too long. Lena’s still staring at her with that same expression of awe, and the heroine’s heart feels warm and heavy with gratitude that this woman is here with  _ her  _ of all people.

When she thinks she’s able to continue, she presses her fingers into the next chord.

“All I wanna do

Is come running home to you

Come running home to you

And all my life I promise to

Keep running home to you

Keep running home

To you.”

Her fingers move a bit quicker now, slightly more force behind each note as the song transitions into the bridge. Her favorite line of the whole song is coming up, and she takes another grounding breath to make sure her voice is steady enough to do it right.

“And I could see it right from the start, right from the start

That you would be, be my light in the dark, light in the dark, oh

You gave me no other choice

But to love you.”

Lena gasps next to her, and Kara sees the woman’s cheeks turning red. 

She almost moves to play the next chord, but she stops. An idea comes to mind. She isn’t sure if she can do it, because her throat is tight and her heart is pounding. She’s not sure she trusts her voice yet, but she pulls her fingers off the keys anyhow. She gently swings her legs over the bench so that she’s facing Lena, then looks at the woman’s watering eyes.

“All I wanna do

Is come running home to you

Come running home to you

And all my life I promise to

Keep running home to you

Keep running home

Home to you.”

Her vision’s blurry, now, but she can see enough. Lena stares at her tearfully, lips slightly parted and brow furrowed. Her eyes are so green that they remind Kara of glowing Kryptonite, and she thinks for a moment that Lena might be her Kryptonite. Real Kryptonite be damned. Because the way Lena is looking at her, like she herself put the stars in the sky, makes her weaker than that rock ever has. 

Kara blinks a few times, the tears welling in her own eyes dripping down her cheeks. She doesn’t even bother to wipe them away. She simply looks back at Lena, heart so full it could burst from her chest. The raven haired woman’s chin quivers as stares, speechless.

She wasn’t going to ask yet. She was going to wait for Lena to show interest in it, wait for when the CEO was ready to talk. They’d done a lot of kissing and not as much talking and that was fine with Kara. It is fine with her, even still. She wasn’t going to ask yet.

But the words come tumbling from her lips before she can even think to stop them, and then it’s out there.

“Will you be my girlfriend, Lena Luthor?”

Kara slaps a hand up to her mouth, eyes widening as she finally catches up to herself. She bolts upright and turns around, not daring to take a breath. 

“Shit,” she mutters, the profanity slipping out without meaning to. “That wasn’t supposed to happen, I wasn’t -”

“Yes.”

It’s quiet and tremulous, so quiet that were it not for incredible hearing Kara may never have heard it, but it’s there. Lena says it. 

She says yes.

Kara turns around again, slowly and carefully. She’s not sure what she’s afraid of, because Lena said yes, but she still feels the fear like ice in her veins. When she turns, Lena is standing now, ever so close to her. There’s just a few inches between the two of them. Kara takes a shuddering breath, willing herself to look at Lena’s eyes.

“I would love nothing more than to be yours, Kara Zor-El,” Lena whispers shakily, fresh tears slipping down her cheeks. She lets out giddy chuckle, one which Kara happily returns. The CEO’s laughter turns to a sob, and Kara knows that’s it. She wraps Lena tightly in her arms as the dam breaks.

They don’t talk about the why. Kara knows why. She knows enough about the CEO’s past to know that no one has ever truly loved her like this. No one has ever shown her with true respect, except perhaps Jack Spheer. No one has ever done anything like  _ this  _ for her. No one has ever looked at her the way Kara does, and as much as she hates that Lena’s never known this kind of love, she’s so grateful that she gets to be the one to show her.

They almost go to bed in their dresses, but Kara is awake enough to decide against it. With some unspoken agreement, they help each other with the zippers down their backs, peppering soft kisses on exposed skin. It’s slow and calm, and Kara remembers what it’s like to really breathe. She feels lighter than air, nearly floating over to the bed. 

They don’t put on pajamas. Lena’s wearing matching black lace underwear that makes Kara’s breath hitch in her throat. She glances down at herself, her lacy blue bra clashing horribly with the fabric polka dot underwear on her hips, and shakes her head. When she looks back up, Lena’s smiling. The heroine decides that perhaps it’s not so bad a combination after all.

The two of them crawl beneath the comforter and curl into each other, limbs tangled together haphazardly. Kara yelps as she feels Lena’s freezing toes against her calf, and Lena chuckles sleepily. Their arms wrap tightly around each other, and Kara grins as she feels Lena nuzzle her way beneath her chin. 

“You’re like a cat,” the heroine teases, her voice still strained. The tears flowing from both their eyes have not quite stopped, but the tiredness in their bodies is beginning to win out.

“Keep it up, I’ll bite, too,” Lena threatens, and Kara feels teeth gently graze across the skin over her collarbone. She giggles, a true giggle, and threads her fingers in Lena’s beautiful long locks. She finally rests her hand between the woman’s shoulders - her girlfriend’s shoulders, her thumb sliding up and down over a pale shoulder. Lena sighs contently against her neck.

Kara falls asleep not a minute later, the word girlfriend repeating like her favorite song in her head.


End file.
